Bogota – Colombians vote Sunday in a presidential election that will determine the conflict-ridden nation’s response to spiraling violence, either staying left and opting for dialogue or tacking right towards all-out war.
The constitution forbids a second term for the country’s first-ever leftist President Gustavo Petro, whose “total peace” strategy has failed to negotiate an end to conflict with armed groups.
Despite his absence from the ballot, “the campaign revolves around Petro,” said Yann Basset, political science professor at Bogota’s University of Rosario. “He’s at the center of all the discussions.”
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